Teres II or Teres III () was a king of the
Odrysians in
Thrace
Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
from 351 BC to 341 BC.
The variation in numbering indicates disagreement among scholars, some of whom include as Teres II the paradynast of
Amadocus I and rival of
Seuthes II
Seuthes II (, ''Seuthēs'') was a ruler in the Odrysian kingdom of Thrace, attested from 405 to 387 BC. While he looms large in the historical narrative thanks to his close collaboration with Xenophon, most scholars consider Seuthes II to have bee ...
who ruled near
Byzantium
Byzantium () or Byzantion () was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' continued to be used as a n ...
in c. 400 BC, since that Teres is specifically called an Odrysian, and since Seuthes II himself was also a paradynast. The present Teres is therefore found variously as "Teres II" or "Teres III" in the literature.
Teres II or III is generally assumed to have been the son of
Amadocus II, on the basis of historical succession and coin types. This identification is possibly supported by an inscription naming "Tērēs (son) of Amatokos" on a silver bowl found at the village of Braničevo in northeastern
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
. Amadocus II, who ruled the central portion of Thrace, disappears from the sources at the time of a military intervention by
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon (; 382 BC – October 336 BC) was the king (''basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ...
in 352/351 BC, and Teres appears to have succeeded him at this point. Since Demosthenes stated that Philip had "expelled some kings and replaced them with others," Teres may have come to the throne as Philip's appointee, although Demosthenes' statement is usually associated with the heirs of
Berisades in western Thrace. During a subsequent Macedonian campaign in Thrace under Philip's general
Antipater
Antipater (; ; 400 BC319 BC) was a Macedonian general, regent and statesman under the successive kingships of Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. In the wake of the collapse of the Argead house, his son Cassander ...
in 347/346 BC, Teres kept his throne, apparently allying with Philip against the eastern Thracian king
Cersobleptes. This state of affairs lasted until Philip's later and more prolonged campaign in Thrace in 342–340 BC. After several victories over the Thracians, Philip subjugated the country, deposing both Teres and Cersobleptes, presumably in 341 BC.
On the basis of coin distribution and other circumstantial evidence, Teres has been identified as a kinsman (father?) and precursor of the later king
Seuthes III
Seuthes III (, Seuthēs) was a Thracian king of Odrysia, a part of Thrace, during the late 4th century BC (securely attested between 324 and 312 BC).
Historical background
Following the campaigns of Philip II in 347–342 BC a significant part ...
,
[Topalov 2001: 273–278]
Mladjov, Rulers of Thrace, University of Michigan
/ref> one of whose sons was also named Teres.
See also
*List of Thracian tribes
This is a list of ancient tribes in Thrace and Dacia () including possibly or partly Thracian or Dacian tribes, and non-Thracian or non-Dacian tribes that inhabited the lands known as Thrace and Dacia. A great number of Ancient Greek tribes lived ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
* P. Delev, Thrace from the Assassination of Kotys I to Koroupedion (360-281 BCE), in Valeva et al. (eds.), ''A Companion to Ancient Thrace,'' Wiley, 2015: 48–58.
* A. Fol et al., ''The Rogozen Treasure'', Sofia, 1989.
* G. Mihailov, The Inscriptions, in: Fol et al., ''The Rogozen Treasure'', Sofia, 1989: 46–71.
* M. Tacheva, ''The Kings of Ancient Thrace. Book One,'' Sofia, 2006.
* S. Topalov, ''The Odrysian Kingdom from the Late 5th to the Mid-4th C. B.C.,'' Sofia, 1994.
* S. Topalov, ''Contributions to the Study of the Coinage and History in the Lands of Eastern Thrace from the End of the 4th C. B.C. to the end of the 3rd C. B.C.,'' Sofia, 2001.
* J. Valeva et al. (eds.), ''A Companion to Ancient Thrace,'' Wiley, 2015.
* R. Vulpe, ''Studia Thracologica'', Bucharest, 1976.
* M. Zahrnt, Early History of Thrace to the Murder of Kotys I (360 BCE), in: J. Valeva et al. (eds.), ''A Companion to Ancient Thrace,'' Wiley, 2015: 35–47.
{{s-end
4th-century BC monarchs
Odrysian kings